Rail post assembly



Dec. 24, 1963 L. BLUM RAIL POST ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 18, 1956 INVENTOR. 6a..

in; Y MK} United States Patent 3,114,941 RAIL POST ASSEMBLY Louis Blum, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Blumeraft of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., '21 firm Filed Oct. 18, 1956, Ser. No. 616,724 2 Claims. (Cl. 20-10) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ornamental rail structures, more particularly in post assemblies for supporting hand rails, and it is among the objects thereof to provide a post assembly of simple mechanical construction for use with open stairways m which the post, in part, maintains the proper spacing and alignment of the stair treads.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a post assembly for ornamental rails in which the posts shall be adapted for assembly to the treads of stairways.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view, partially in cross section, of a stair mount for hand rails embodying the principles of this invention;

FIGURE 2, an exploded view in elevation of the component parts of the rail post assembly; and,

FIGURE 3, an isometric view, partially in cross-section and partially in elevation, of the post and nails assembled on stairs.

In the drawing, the numerals 1 and 2 designate stair treads which may be of wood, as shown, or 0t other suitable material; the numeral 3 a stringer for supporting the treads 1 and 2, and the numeral 4 generally designates a post for supporting hand rails 5, 6 and 7.

In assembling the posts 4 or balustrades, of which there are any number adequate to support the rails 5, 6, and 7 depending upon the length of the rails, it is desirable to anchor the posts securely in the treads 1 and 2. This is accomplished by constructing the posts in sections for interlocking the posts with the treads and by means of this sectional construction a part of the post assembly becomes a spacing element for maintaining proper spacing of the treads.

The component parts of this construction are shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawing and consist of an end sleeve 8 which is provided with a central recess for receiving a nut 9 and washer 10. A spacing sleeve 11 is disposed between the treads 1 and 2, as shown in FIGURE 3, and the post portion 4 for supporting the rails which is one piece although shown cut away is provided with "a shank or stem portion 12 having a threaded end .13 that interacts with the thread of the nut 9. The rail post 4 is provided with brackets 14 for supporting the rails inboard of the post.

The rail and post are assembled to the stairs as follows:

As shown in FIGURE 1, holes 15 and 16 of a size to receive the threaded stem 12 are drilled through the stair treads 1 and 2. The sleeve 11 is then placed between the treads 1 and 2 and the threaded stem 12 is inserted through opening 15 of tread 2 sleeve 11 and opening 16 of tread :1 to extend below tread 1, as shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 1. The threaded nut 9 and washer 10, which is an expansible element, are placed in the socket end of the end sleeve 8 and by rotating the member 8, the treaded nut will screw onto the threaded portion 13 and draw up the parts '4, 8 and 111 in the manner shown in FIGURE 3.

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The rail post is not intended to support the stairs, the treads i1 and 2 being supported by the stringers 3. However, the sleeve 11 of the post does maintain proper spacing 'ot the stairs '1 and 2 and secures the treads against displacement.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles here-in set fiorth.

I claim:

'1. In an ornamental stairway and rail structure a pair of stringers having a plurality of stair treads mounted thereon with open risers, the stringers being rigidly connected to said treads, said treads having extended portions extending outwardly beyond said stringers, said treads having bores in the extended portions thereof in vertical alignment with the bore of an upward tread adjacent the corner of said tread and the bore of a lower tread adjacent a stringer near the rear of the tread, rail posts mounted outwardly of said stringers consisting of separate top, bottom and intermediate post sections mounted on, below and between said treads, screw rods extending through the bores of said treads and said intermediate post sections and having screw tread engagement with the top and bottom posts sections, rail mounting bracket means fixed to said posts and extending inwardly toward said stringers and rails mounted on said bracket means and spaced inwardly \from said posts.

2. In an ornamental stairway and rail structure a pair of stringers having a plurality of stair treads mounted thereon with open risers, the stringers being rigidly connected to said treads, said treads having extended portions extending outwardly beyond said stringers, said treads having bores in the extended portions thereof in vertical alignment with the bore of an upward tread adjacent the corner of said tread and the bore of a lower tread adjacent a stringer near the rear of the tread, rail posts consisting of separate top, bottom and intermediate sections mounted on, below and between said treads, screw rods extending through the bores of said treads and said intermediate sections and having screw thread engagement with the top and bottom post sections, said top post section having its free end turned inward of the stairs and having spaced brackets parallel with said bent portion for mounting rails at the top and intermediate the top and tread of said stairway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,908 Horrocks Sept. 7, 1886 367,974 Hanson Aug. 9, 1887 385,012 Rogers June 26, 1888 387,660 S'chahfer Aug. 14, 1888 1,691,663 Morris Nov. 13, 1928 2,003,876 Birtcher June 4, 1935 2,021,457 MacKenzie Nov. 19, 1935 2,529,649 Coplen Nov. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 55,578 Germany Mar. 12, 1891 63,897 Germany July 30, 1892 708,477 France May 4, 1931 602,638 Great Britain May 31, 1948 1,300,151 France Nov. 14, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Progressive Architecture, December 1954, p. 129.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 3 114M941 December 24 1963 Louis Blum It is hereby certified that error a ent requiring correction and that the sa ppears in the above numbered pat corrected below.

id Letters Patent should read as Column 2z line 25,; for *treaoV read thread m,

Signed and sealed this 19th day of May 1964 0 I (SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST IL SWIDER I a EDWARD BRENNER Attesting Officer I Commissioner of Patents 

1. IN AN ORNAMENTAL STAIRWAY AND RAIL STRUCTURE A PAIR OF STRINGERS HAVING A PLURALITY OF STAIR TREADS MOUNTED THEREON WITH OPEN RISERS, THE STRINGERS BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID TREADS, SAID TREADS HAVING EXTENDED PORTIONS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID STRINGERS, SAID TREADS HAVING BORES IN THE EXTENDED PORTIONS THEREOF IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE BORE OF AN UPWARD TREAD ADJACENT THE CORNER OF SAID TREAD AND THE BORE OF A LOWER TREAD ADJACENT A STRINGER NEAR THE REAR OF THE TREAD, RAIL POSTS MOUNTED OUTWARDLY OF SAID STRINGERS CONSISTING OF SEPARATE TOP, BOTTOM AND INTERMEDIATE POST SECTIONS MOUNTED ON, BELOW AND BETWEEN SAID TREADS, SCREW RODS EXTENDING THROUGH THE BORES OF SAID TREADS AND SAID INTERMEDIATE POST SECTIONS AND HAVING SCREW TREAD ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOP AND BOTTOM POST SECTIONS, RAIL MOUNTING BRACKET MEANS FIXED TO SAID POSTS AND EXTENDING INWARDLY TOWARD SAID STRINGERS AND RAILS MOUNTED ON SAID BRACKET MEANS AND SPACED INWARDLY FROM SAID POSTS. 